Bhattal, Badal cases: Punjab sings different
tunes
New Delhi, January 27
In an interesting development, the Punjab Government today took different positions before the Supreme Court regarding vacating the stay on trial against Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, his son and three other Akali Dal leaders in corruption cases.

Sonia to share stage with Hilary,
Cherie
New Delhi, January 27
US senator Hilary Clinton, UK Prime Minister’s wife Cherie Blair and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, all billed as among the world’s most powerful women, may come together on a common platform in March.

PM may not campaign
New Delhi, January 27
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is unlikely to campaign for next month’s Assembly elections in Haryana, Bihar and Jharkhand.

Flag hoisting turns bloody, 2 killed
Bhopal, January 27
A clash between two groups, over the right to unfurl the National Flag, has left two persons killed and many others injured at Banbana village, near Nagda town, in Ujjain
district. According to official sources, the outgoing sarpanch Babulal
was scheduled to unfurl the National Flag at the Government Primary School at
Banbana village.

BSF backs Tripura CM on border
fencing
Agartala, January 27
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarker found a friend in the form of the Director-General, BSF, Mr R.S.Mooshahary, who supported the issue of complete border fencing with Bangladesh to check infiltration problem and ISI activities in North-eastern and Eastern parts of the country.

Shia Board can be liquidated: Athar
Lucknow, January 27
If the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board increases Shia representation and
assures to take up their main grievances, the newly formed Shia Board can be
liquidated with the consent of the community, the president of the All-India
Shia Personal Law Board, Maulana Mirza Mohammad Athar, said yesterday.

Indian diplomacy on test
New Delhi, January 27
For nearly two years now, big powers like China and the USA are keen on getting a suitable role in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and indications here are that the issue may not be kept under the carpet for long.

STF to tackle Naxal problem
Bangalore, January 27
The Special Task Force will be used to tackle Naxal activity which has recently come to the fore in the western districts of Karnataka, Chief Minister Dharam Singh told the Legislative Assembly today.

Farooq to campaign for
INLD
New Delhi, January 27
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah would campaign for the ruling INLD in Haryana in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

Haryana Cong rebels face
6-year expulsion
New Delhi, January 27
Coming down strongly on rebels in the party, the Congress today announced a six-year expulsion of all those contesting against official nominees in the February 3 Assembly poll in Haryana.

Poornima Advani ignored
us: NCW members
New Delhi, January 27
The outburst of a National Commission for Women (NCW) member on Monday, preceding the release of the commission’s annual report by outgoing Chairperson Poornima Advani, is only but a tip of tension brewing between NCW members and its Chairperson for sometime now.

Cop murdered on way to receive medal
Lucknow, January 27
A Police officer on his way to Agra to receive the President’s Police Medal was killed by unidentified assailants in Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh.

Bill for tribals in next
Budget session
New Delhi, January 27
The government has announced its decision to bring a Bill on granting land rights to tribal communities in forest areas in the forthcoming Budget session of Parliament.
An official press note issued from the Prime Minister’s Office said Dr Manmohan Singh had given his approval for the introduction of the Bill.

Bilkis case deferred
Mumbai, January 27
On a defence plea, a special court today deferred till February 8 the Bilkis Bano gangrape-cum-massacre case, but warned that it would not allow further adjournments. On January 13, the court had framed charges against the accused for their alleged complicity in attacking a group of 17 members of the minority community in the aftermath of Godhra riots on March 3, 2002.

Chhattisgarh Plan
approved
New Delhi, January 27
The Planning Commission has approved an annual plan of Rs 4,275 crore for Chhattisgarh for 2005-06, which is nearly Rs 1,000 crore more than the last year’s plan.

Hoax call
New Delhi, January 27
The police authorities went into a tizzy after a call was received on Tuesday afternoon in the Home Ministry control room that a bomb had been planted in the Jama Masjid and would go off any time.

Pension hiked
New Delhi, January 27
The Cabinet has decided to increase the basic pension to unemployed and unmarried daughters of freedom fighters to Rs 1,500 per month.
Under the existing norms, the eldest daughters used to get Rs 600 and other two daughters Rs 350 each. Now it has been raised to Rs 1,500 for all.

New Delhi, January 27
In an interesting development, the Punjab Government today took different positions before the Supreme Court regarding vacating the stay on trial against Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, his son and three other Akali Dal leaders in corruption cases.

On the one hand Punjab Government counsel tried to brush aside the case of Ms Bhattal when a Bench of Mr Justice K G Balakarishnan and Mr Justice B N Srikrisha sought to know the stand of the state on the question of vacating the stay. But on the other they made a strong plea for lifting of it in the cases against Badal, his son Sukhbir Singh and three former Akali ministers Tota Singh, Niarmal Singh Kahlon and Sohan Singh.

The Bench, which was hearing the petitions of these leaders, along with that of former Kerala Chief minister K Karunakaran, challenging their trial on the ground that there was no prior sanction for their prosecution, reserved its judgement on twin issues - whether the stay on trial should go and the sanction question be referred for a decision to a Constitution Bench.

Solicitor General G E Vahanvati, appearing for Punjab Government made a plea for lifting of the stay on the trial against Badals and the three Akali leaders contending that sanction was there for their prosecution. While Badals had claimed that the sanction for their trial was not from “competent” authority, former Akali ministers had said that in their cases there was no “prior sanction”.

The apex court had granted the stay earlier last year while admitting their petitions.

But when the court specifically asked as what was the stand of the state government in Bhattal’s case, Punjab Government counsel said, “It should be kept aside.”

A battery of senior advocates, led by Mr K K Venugopal, appearing for these leaders, said the matter needed to be referred to the Constitution Bench to lay down a clear law on the question of sanction for prosecuting public servants, including MPs and MLAs.

Meanwhile, Kerala Government counsel informed the court that the state had decided to withdraw the case against Karunakaran in Rs 2.8 crore “palmolein oil” import scam.

But the Bench said that the case could not be withdrawn arbitrarily as a formal application had to be moved before the trial judge, who would take appropriate decision in this regard.

New Delhi, January 27
US senator Hilary Clinton, UK Prime Minister’s wife Cherie Blair and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, all billed as among the world’s most powerful women, may come together on a common platform in March.

They are among the high-profile invitees for a three-day international conference on gender, being ogranised in Islamabad from March 28 to 30 by the Pakistan’s ministry of women’s development, the All-Pakistan Women’s Association (APWA) and a host of UN agencies. UN Secretary-general Kofi Anan is also listed among the key speakers at this conference on “Gender Mainstreaming and the MDGs”.

Mrs Gandhi is yet to accept the invitation though she is being persuaded by her AICC colleagues to give her consent.

The conference will review the progress made so far in implementing the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) globally, with a specific focus on the Asia-Pacific region. The meeting is expected to bring the current situation of women in the region to the fore of national agendas and also take stock of the progress made in implementing the recommendations of various international conferences, conventions and declerations.

Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s decision to decline the Prime Minister’s post has sent her popularity graph zooming internationally and since then she has been indundated with invitations from across the globe. Given her interest in social issues, Mrs Gandhi did address an international conferences on HIV/ AIDS in Bangkok last year but has taken a conscious decision to avoid bilateral visits or political invitations.

The Islamabad conference is strictly non-political but given the nature of Indo-Pak relations, Mrs Gandhi’s visit is bound to acquire political overtones. Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz is expected to inaugurate the conference and President Pervez Musharraf has been invited to address the closing ceremony.

The Pakistan government had invited Mrs Gandhi for a visit last year itself but she has yet to accept it.

New Delhi, January 27
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is unlikely to campaign for next month’s Assembly elections in Haryana, Bihar and Jharkhand.

Although Dr Singh and his Cabinet colleagues Mr Pranab Mukherjee and Mr Shivraj Patil do figure in the list of speakers drawn up by the party for the three elections in these states, Congress insiders indicated that the Prime Minister might stay away from the campaign trail.

In fact, the Prime Minister did not feature in the election posters prepared by the Congress. Party President Sonia Gandhi was the star campaigner and it was her photograph, which adorned the four posters distributed to the election- bound states.

Congress leaders were at pains to explain that the situation this time was different from the Assembly poll in Maharashtra when the Prime Minister had campaigned in the state. It was pointed out that UPA partners, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had a pre-poll alliance, a joint election manifesto and a joint campaign.

This time round the UPA alliance in Bihar and Jharkhand was in tatters. Dr Singh, explained a Congress leader, was the country’s Prime Minister and headed the UPA government. This confusing scenario obviously presented a ticklish problem for the Prime Minister, who might ultimately stay away from the campaign.

Haryana, however, was one state where the Congress had no such problem but here again, Dr Singh’s campaign plans were not clear. As of now, Mrs Sonia Gandhi was scheduled to campaign here on Friday and Saturday. She would be followed by a host of senior AICC leaders, including Mrs Ambika Soni. In any case, there was not much time as the campaigning for the poll ends on February 1.

The AICC had also taken a conscious decision to depute only those senior leaders for campaigning for whom they received a specific request from the candidates.

For the record, however, AICC General Secretary Ambika Soni maintained that several candidates had requested the Prime Minister to campaign in their constituencies but Dr Singh had yet to send his consent.

As regards the election posters, which did not carry Dr Singh’s photograph, Mrs Soni explained that these were AICC posters and like in the past, they carried the party president’s photograph.

Agartala, January 27
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarker found a friend in the form of the Director-General, BSF, Mr R.S.Mooshahary, who supported the issue of complete border fencing with Bangladesh to check infiltration problem and ISI activities in North-eastern and Eastern parts of the country.

Manik Sarker strongly advocated the need of border fencing with
Bangladesh, not only in Tripura, but also in Assam, Meghalaya and West Bengal.

Mr Mooshahary, after his recent tour to Tripura, also expressed concern over the illegal migration from across the border.

The BSF chief, who made an on the spot assesment of the border areas in Tripura, said if infiltration was not checked immediately, it could pose a serious threat to the internal security of the country.

He admitted that infiltration from the border
area, which had been continuing for more than a decade, already changed the demographic pattern in Tripura and threatening it in Assam, Meghalaya and West Bengal.

He also had a meeting with Manik Sarker and agreed to his demand that the 856-km-long porous border needed augmentation of border guard deployment, besides border fencing, to prevent militants' movement from Bangladesh.

He quoted intelligence reports, pointing out that top leaders of ULFA, militant outfis of Tripura, like NLFT, Kamtapuri Liberation Organisation(KLO) of West Bengal were enjoying patronage from the ISI in Bangladesh.

He was also in favour of total revamp of this paramilitary outfit to make it not only the best one in the
country, but also the people-friendly too.

Lucknow, January 27
If the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) increases Shia representation and assures to take up their main grievances, the newly formed Shia Board can be liquidated with the consent of the community, the president of the All-India Shia Personal Law Board, Maulana Mirza Mohammad Athar, said yesterday.

In an exclusive interview to the TNS, Maulana Athar said it was after a 15-day-long consultation with people from his community across the country that the decision to form an independent Shia Board was taken. “When it was openly expressed that the AIMPLB does not give adequate space to our community — a minority within the minority — we decided to take up our grievances ourselves by constituting an independent board.

Declaring that the new board was not to undermine the authority of the AIMPLB, Maulana Athar did not see any contradiction between the two boards. “I am not expecting the Shia members on the AIMPLB to quit and join us” he quipped.

However, he admitted that even now if the AIMPLB gave due weightage to their demands he would consult his community and act accordingly. The new Shia Personal Law Board is to be formally launched at a public function at old Shia College on Saturday morning

He angerily reacted to his detractors accusing the new board of being formed at the behest of the BJP to divide the community and dwindle its bargaining power. “This is certainly not true. Yasoob Abbas is being accused of being close to the BJP as he has personal friends in the party. But he is also a friend of Salman Khurshid. We live in the same locality as Lalji Tandon. So is it wrong to be on close terms with him?”

According to the new president, the people who had assembled at the historic Chota Imambara on Sunday to elect him their new chief were from across the political spectrum — BJP, BSP, Congress and other parties. But they had all come in their capacity as Shias”, he pointed out

On the question of the new board undermining the collective bargaining power of the community versus the government, Maulana Athar said the situation was entirely the AIMPLB’s doing. Its attitude was forcing the formation of these breakaway groups. If it was serious it should first work towards getting the disgruntled Barelvis back”.

Placing on record three main grievances of the Shia community, Maulana Athar said the first and foremost demand was to get adequate political representation. Over the years the Shias, who were once the ruling elite, have completely lost their political clout and have been
marginalised. The second demand is for a separate Shia Waqf Board in the rest of the country on the lines of UP and Bihar.

New Delhi, January 27
For nearly two years now, big powers like China and the USA are keen on getting a suitable role in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and indications here are that the issue may not be kept under the carpet for long.

At the forthcoming SAARC summit in Dhaka next month, the issue may have to be decided one way or the other.

While China wants a full-fledged membership of SAARC and is getting its propaganda work done through Pakistan and Bangladesh, the USA is keen to have an observer's status in the seven-member regional grouping. Then there are bodies like the European Union (EU) and groupings like ASEAN which too are interested in having observer status in SAARC.

The Chinese keenness on joining SAARC is by no means a welcome move from the Indian point of view as it would mean dilution of the hitherto Indian leadership in the grouping and at the same time would also mean a shot in the arm for Pakistan.

At the same time, diplomatic observers here feel, India cannot oppose, overtly or covertly, Beijing's inclusion in SAARC nor can it use it as a bargaining chip for China making India a member of the high-profile Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Bangalore, January 27
The Special Task Force (STF) will be used to tackle Naxal activity which has recently come to the fore in the western districts of Karnataka, Chief Minister Dharam Singh told the Legislative Assembly today.

The idea of using the STF (constituted along with a like force from Tamil Nadu) for this purpose has been in the air eversince it successfully ended its mission to nab outlaw Veerappan.

Naxal activity has spurted in the districts of Shimoga, Udupi, Chikmaglur and Dakshina Kannada districts. Mr Singh, however, replying to a question during question hour, stated that there were social dimensions to the issue and solutions would also be sought through talks.

“Two or three meetings have already been held,” he said. Discussions would soon be held under his chairmanship, he added.

In addition, former Naxalites willing to eschew violence and join the maintstream would be given facilities like land and ration card, he stated.

Agartala, January 27
The self-styled Royal Supreme Council (RSC) of Tripura has asked all illegal settlers in the state, including Chief Minister Manik Sarker, to leave Tripura by January 31 this year.

The leader of National Liberation Front of Tripura Nayanbasi has branded Manik Sarker as an illegal migrant who took shelter in the state in 1971.

Nayanbasi, who recently initiated dialogue with the Centre, is now in Bangladesh along with some fellow leaders and is heading the Royal Supreme Council (RSC) too.

New Delhi, January 27
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah would campaign for the ruling INLD in Haryana in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

Mr Abdullah would start his campaign from Darba Kalan near Sirsa from tomorrow, Mr Tarlochan Singh, MP, said, Mr Abdullah will address meetings at about 15 places in support of INLD candidates in several districts, including Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonepat, Panipat, Yamunanagar besides Jind and Sirsa.

Mr Abdullah will also go to Rori, from where Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala is a candidate.

Several present and former constituents of the NDA have extended support to the INLD in the Assembly elections. Mr Tarlochan Singh said Shiromani Akali Dal leaders Sukhbir Singh Badal and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa were campaigning for INLD candidates.

New Delhi, January 27
Coming down strongly on rebels in the party, the Congress today announced a six-year expulsion of all those contesting against official nominees in the February 3 Assembly poll in Haryana.

The action comes on the eve of party President Sonia Gandhi’s two-day election campaign in the state, starting at Neoltha in Panipat district tomorrow.

Announcing the decision, party General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi told mediapersons that the action would come into force with immediate effect. However, names or number of rebels in the field were not announced. Party sources have admitted to over 12 rebels having filed nominations from various constituencies in the state.

New Delhi, January 27
The outburst of a National Commission for Women (NCW) member on Monday, preceding the release of the commission’s annual report by outgoing Chairperson Poornima Advani, is only but a tip of tension brewing between NCW members and its Chairperson for sometime now.

Though Ms Advani told The Tribune that members expressed regret for the Monday’s incident at a farewell function held Tuesday, the majority reiterated disappointment over how they had been sidelined and ignored by the Chairperson during the past few months on several crucial and non-crucial issue.

“Hardly two members attended the farewell function. In fact, we discussed how we had been ignored during the past three months at a meeting held on Tuesday as well,” revealed an NCW member.

Saying that they did not receive any intimation, members Baby Rani Maurya, Sudha Malaiya, Nafisa Hussain, Nirmala Sitharaman and Anusuiya Uike had remained absent at the release of the 586-page annual report, Year of Endeavour 2004, and the following press conference.

New Delhi, January 27
The government has announced its decision to bring a Bill on granting land rights to tribal communities in forest areas in the forthcoming Budget session of Parliament.
An official press note issued from the Prime Minister’s Office said Dr Manmohan Singh had given his approval for the introduction of the Bill.

The new path-breaking Bill would seek to recognise the rights of tribal communities living in forest areas prior the Forest Conservation Act 1980, coming into force, but left unsettled in government records.

The Bill would also benefit tribals living in villages called forest villages which had not been given land rights despite living in these areas and practising agriculture for several generations, it was pointed out.

The UPA government’s National Common Minimum Programme had called for developing strategies to reconcile the objectives of environment conservation and development and protection of the interests of tribal communities.

By
settling the issue of land rights of tribals in forest areas, the proposed Bill would open new opportunities for effectively engaging the adivasi communities in the greening of degraded forest lands and increased forest cover.

Mumbai, January 27
On a defence plea, a special court today deferred till February 8 the Bilkis Bano gangrape-cum-massacre case, but warned that it would not allow further adjournments. On January 13, the court had framed charges against the accused for their alleged complicity in attacking a group of 17 members of the minority community in the aftermath of Godhra riots on March 3, 2002.

Of the 20 accused, the Judge U.D. Salvi framed charges against 19 and separated the trial of Dr Sangeeta Prasad as she was under treatment. The court kept the matter on January 27 for recording of evidence and issued summons to Bilkis Bano to appear on that day. —
PTI

New Delhi, January 27
The police authorities went into a tizzy after a call was received on Tuesday afternoon in the Home Ministry control room that a bomb had been planted in the Jama Masjid and would go off any time.

Sources said the call was received from the United States and the caller identified himself as the spokesman of a Christian fundamentalist group. Immediately, the local police along with bomb disposal and dog squads were rushed to the spot and after a thorough search of the premises the authorities dismissed it as a hoax call.

New Delhi, January 27
The Cabinet has decided to increase the basic pension to unemployed and unmarried daughters of freedom fighters to Rs 1,500 per month.
Under the existing norms, the eldest daughters used to get Rs 600 and other two daughters Rs 350 each. Now it has been raised to Rs 1,500 for all.

Information and Broadcasting Minister S Jaipal Reddy told newspersons that there had been demands from freedom fighters organisations to increase the basic pension for all categories.

"Having regard to the financial constraints, for the present, the Cabinet only considered increasing the dependent pension given to unemployed and unmarried daughters", he said, adding that this would entail an expenditure of Rs 1.4 crore per annum.

New Delhi, January 27
The UGC has asked all universities to follow the revised rules for leave as prescribed by the commission.

In a statement issued here, the UGC said it had been seen that some universities had not given effect to the leave rules. Asking all universities to comply with the rules, the commission had directed them to suitably amend their relevant statutes, ordinances, rules and regulations.

BRIEFLY

Gutka baron moves court
Mumbai: Gutka baron Rasiklal Manikchand Dhariwal today filed a petition in a special court urging for cancellation of the non-bailable warrant issued against him for failure to appear before the police in a case of alleged links with the underworld. The petition was filed by advocate Rajendra Shirodkar in the court of designated Judge A P Bhangale who kept the matter for arguments on January 29. —
PTI

Tremors hit Nicobar islands
New Delhi: A series of moderate intensity earthquakes have rattled the Nicobar islands while a 5.4 temblor has jolted the Sumatra islands since last night, the Met Department said today. —
PTI